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What were the Best Adapted Screenplays Adapted From?

Oscar Nominations came out yesterday. While perusing the list, I found myself looking at the nominations for best adapted screen play and wondering what exactly those screenplays were adapted from.Here’s what I found out.

This adaptation was the hardest to figure out. The movie used original characters, in an original situation, with original dialogue. So why is it considered an adaptation? The answer is because as a sequel it borrows from the storyline of the 1995 film Before Sunrise. If you are still confused this article explains the situation better than me.

Captain Phillips, written by Billy Ray

This movie was adapted from the book A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, by Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty.

Philomena, written by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope

“Philomena” was adapted from just a few pages of the nonfiction novel The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, by Martin Sixsmiths. According to some articles the movie comes from pages 439 to 454 to be exact.

12 Years a Slave, written by John Ridley

This film was adapted from a memoir of the same name written by Solomon Northrop, a free black man who was kidnapped, sold into slavery, and kept in bondage for twelve years.

The Wolf of Wall Street, written by Terence Winter

This movie was also adapted from a memoir by the same name, written by Jordan Belfort.

So those are the sources the best adapted screenplays were adapted from. Isn’t it interesting (and kind of sad) that none of them came from fiction? Also, do you have an opinion on which film should win the award? Let me know in the comments.